Best Cabin Camping near Ponderosa, NM

We were very excited on our first night to settle into our campsite after a long day of adventuring. Just a short drive to the outskirts of Santa Fe in mountain country we found our campground, Rancheros de Santa Fe.

Upon entry the staff was very friendly and welcoming and we felt like this would be a great place to call home away from home.

The campsites were laid out well with room between campers and because it was the end of a weekend, they were not entirely at capacity which made for a pleasant sense of space in the great outdoors.

Our campsite was positioned in the "high road" tent site area which is a primitive campsite without additional amenities. Each campsite has a fire ring and also a picnic table for campers to utilize and a pad site for tents slightly raises from ground level.

It made for a beautiful night sleep under the chilly New Mexico skies.

By morning we ventured up to the public showers and restrooms which were clean and had amazon water pressure and hot water to set the morning in motion perfectly.

The facility also offers a pool and theater room during summer months so while we didn't get to take advantage we were excited to know upon return we would have these features available.

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Overall we give this campground a 4 of 5 Bunniea! The only things we noticed which kept it from a 5 were the lack of wifi reach in the back sections of the campground, wouldn't have been a big deal but cell service in the off grid location was also patchy so the wifi would have been handy. And the pad site was not designed for a tent quite our size. Our tent is a 12x8 and had a little side hang on on the 12 foot end.

We stayed here only overnight as part of our cross-country trip. Overall, nice for a quick stay but would not for an extended visit.

Pros: Everyone there was friendly and accomodating. They have personel maintaining the gate 24/7. Restrooms & showers were clean. They offer RV sites, cabin rentals (which we were told they were all booked but saw no one there- possibly closed due to pandemic though), and tent sites. We tent camp. The site had a fire ring, picnic table, a shaded area, and is covered in pea gravel. The shaded area is not waterproof or "fully" covered. But seems it would help with the heat to provide some shaded comfort. It rained the night we were there, and I was unable to get all of our tent spikes into the ground for our rainfall (think there may have been concrete a few inches below). If you are staying for an extended time, I recommend bringing a tarp that you can tie to the shaded area to help with heat / rain. Each tent site is separated by a privacy wall (see pic). The best part was the sunrise! Absolutely stunning as you are literally at the base of the mountains. You just have to ignore the giant Geico billboard on highway in your view.

Cons: EVERY review will tell you about the noise from highway, and it is no joke!! We were so tired we did not care. But it is BAD! If you are looking for peace and quiet - THIS IS NOT THE PLACE! You can see the highway wall in my pics. It appeared to be in what seemed as "not the best part of town". It is fully gated 24/7 which I appreciate, but makes you wonder where you are staying. However, we did not have any issues, and the few people we saw were all very polite. We arrived later in the evening and ran out to get a quick bite, but everything closes at 9p so be mindful.

Pandemic note: We stayed here 6/1/20-6/2/20. Everyone was wearing masks, VERY mindful of social distancing, and you could not even go in to the office - they come out to you.

I would recommend this only as a quick stop-over / last option campground.

Not too far off the highway and only about a mile and a half to a decent grocery store. Location is secluded and quiet. Staff was friendly and got us to our site quickly. We have a small RV which fit nicely into our spot but larger RVs were stacked close together as the space between sites was small. Looked like lots of sites had multiple vehicles so seamed crowded. RV sites are gravel with a little grass between. Not much shade and it was very hot in July. Could use some updates and additional spacing.
Tent sites were not being used but liked a little shadier and had trees between. Some small cabins available. Showers and bathroom was basic but clean.

I stayed at a camping cabin. I’d been car camping for a month and had stayed at a camping cabin at las cruces Koa and loved it. This cabin has a heater that was not able to keep the cabin warm - it was really cold maybe 15 at night and I could not get rid of a chill all night even though I was bundled up. Then in the morning I went to close the door and the door handle broke locking me out. Luckily I had my dog and car keys but no one was in office yet and it was bitter cold. They let me cancel my next night and did offer a free night but didn’t refund the money I spent. Loved Santa Fe tho the food and coffee are Amazing!!!

My children and I stayed 2 nights in a camping cabin at the Bernalillo KOA in May, 2017. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout our booking process, even when we needed to make changes. The cabin was clean and neat, the KOA showerhouse was as well. They had a nice pool with plenty of shade and an outdoor movie in the evenings which my kids enjoyed. It was an excellent base for exploring the surrounding area, including the Jemez Mountains, many pueblos, Bandelier National Monument, Petroglyph National Monument and Kashe Katuwe National Monument.

The RV Park is about 20 minutes from the old town shops and restaurants so it’s a good location not far off the highway. Grocery is close and nice. Site was good, could have used leveling and more gravel (some sites better than ours). Privacy was good with trees and bushes between sites. We were thankful for the shade trees and fire pit. Picnic table was a little shabby. Pool was closed probably due to COVID-19? They have a store with a few items that was open 8-12 and 4:00-8:00. Laundry room needed cleaning and updating. The reason I can only give this place three stars is the condition of the bathroom and shower area. Needs a good deep cleaning (I recommend a power washer). It also needs updating and painting but if it was clean that would not matter so much. Bugs and hair on the floor and con webs in the stalls. The fan looked like it had never been cleaned. Walls and door definitely need paint. I would also recommend taking the bars off the windows and cleaning them to make it look more inviting. Wish I could give it a higher rating, it has potential.

Enjoyed the site! They had RV, cabins and tent camp sites. My friend and I are tent campers and there was more than enough space for the vehicle and both our tents. They have showers (limited to 5 mins but better than nothing!), they have a dishwashing stations and two bathhouses. The lady at the front desk was helpful and extremely nice. There is a store really close by also! They have charcoal grills at the tent sites and one communal fire pit. We paid about $20. Would absolutely go back again! The sad part is the museum is closed due to lack of funding 😭

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Turquoise Trail Campground, Cedar Crest, NM

Turquoise Trail Campground is a small privately owned campground located five miles north of I-40 off Route 14 (exit 175) just outside the east side of Albuquerque. Tucked along the base of the Sandia mountains, at 6940’ elevation. http://www.turquoisetrailcampground.com/

There is plenty of visible signage to guide you down Snowline Dr into the campground.

As you approach the office/museum on the right, the RV/Camper loop is visible on the left (which appeared full). Behind the office building are two tent loops (upper and lower). There are two very clean bathroom/showerhouses located between the office and tent loops. A laundry room and dishwashing sink is located at the back of the office building. *This is also the only water access for the tent loops.

RV sites have full hookups. Tent sites have only a leveled, gravel tent pad, picnic table and standing grill. Only stove fires were permitted at our visit due to open fire restrictions.

Tent sites are separated by scrub brush, which offered partial privacy between most sites, but you will hear your neighbors. The outer tent sites back up to a residential area, with a fence separating. Bring earplugs for undisturbed sleeping, as road noise from Route 14 can be heard, along with local dogs randomly in the distance.

At $20 a night, the campground is convenient and sufficiently met our needs as we traveled west on a tight itinerary.

Shower tokens are provided with your nightly fee. Each token gives you 7 minutes of shower time.

There is plenty to do nearby, with bike trails and hiking trails…though nothing of particular interest in the campground itself.

The bustling city of Albuquerque is the next exit west, so you are still very close to shopping, eateries, and nightlife.